FIG. 1 shows a commonly used network arrangement in which a plurality of local computer systems in a local area network (LAN) may access a plurality of remote servers through the Internet. Each remote server may include World Wide Web sites (web sites) that each include a plurality of World Wide Web pages (web pages). Each local computer system may access the remote web sites with web browser software, such as Netscape Navigator.TM., available from Netscape Communications Corporation of Mountain View, Calif.
The World Wide Web is a collection of servers on the Internet that utilize the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP is a known application protocol that provides users with access to files (which can be in different formats, such as text, graphics, images, sound, and video) using a standard page description language known as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML is used to transmit data and instructions between a remote computer and a local computer in a form that is understandable to the browser software on the local computer.
While accessing a remote web page from an origin remote network device, it often is desirable to download a copy of such web page into the local, non-volatile memory of the local computer system for review at a later time. This can save the time that it takes to retrieve the document at a later time, and also enable the web page to be reviewed while disconnected from the network. Problems arise, however, when the remote web page is modified on the origin network device while the local computer system is disconnected from the network. For example, the web page could include information relating to daily stock quotes and thus, require daily updating. Accordingly, when the local computer reaccesses the remote web site after being disconnected for a relatively long time period (such as one week in this example), it is necessary for the exemplary web page to be updated to convey accurate information.
Currently, there are several known methods of updating the stored web page after reconnect. A first method requires that a user manually reaccess the origin network site, check to see if the exemplary web page has been modified since it was downloaded, delete the existing copy of the exemplary web page if the web page has been updated, and then download a copy of the modified web page. This process is time consuming and inconvenient. A second method (e.g., MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER.TM. 3.0, available from Microsoft Corporation) automates the above noted manual process. Such a process also is inefficient, however, because it requires that the local computer system perform a number of logical steps prior to downloading a modified copy of the remote web page. This increases the local processor usage and thus, is time consuming.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an apparatus and method that efficiently updates a network document, stored in the non-volatile memory of a local computer system, when the local computer system reconnects to the network.